Numbering-machine.



B. B. GONRAD.

NUMBERING MACHINE.

PPLIoAznIoN HLBD JULY 15,1902.

Patented Deo. 22, 1908.

myc,

UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

BENJAMIN B.CONRAD, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

NUMBERING-MACHINE Patented Dec. 22, 1908.

serial No. 443,731.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN B. CONRAD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn, county of Kings, city and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvement-s in Numbering- Machines, of which the following is a clear, full, and exact description.

This invention relates to that type of mai chine commonly known as a hand numbering machine, which class broadly comprises, automatic numbering machines, lever or yardage machines, marking machines and dating machines. In these various sub-types of hand numbering machines, my improved invention can be incorporated in the same manner as I have illustrated and described it in the one specific form of this application, in which it is shown as a yardage or lever machine.

The object of the invention is to provide a means whereby the operator can determine by merely looking at the machine, what the iigures are that are then set for printing without the necessity of reversing the machine and examining the printing characters.

In carrying out my invention I make use of two sets of numbers. One set is the usual printing type for numbering; the other set is an indicating set which is so moved upon the operation of the machine, that it will take its place adjacent to an indicator, of any desired form, when its companion number of the printing characters is in position to print. I prefer that the same wheel carry both the indicating numbers and the printing numbers, but this is not essential to my invention. I prefer that the indicator be in the shape of a plate carried by the plunger head with openings through which the indicator numbers on the wheels may be viewed, but this is not essential to my invention, as any other well known form of indicater can be used.

The scope of my invention will be pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a front view of the machine supplied with the devices of this invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional side view on the line 2 2 Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional side view on the line 3--3 Fig. l, and Fig. t is a perspective view of one of the wheels.

As shown in the drawings, the machine consists of a U shaped frame l provided Y with a gage plate 2, a plunger rod 3, carrying the usual plunger head Ll, which is adapted to be reciprocated iu the guides 5 ot.' the frame 1. rFhe plunger rod 3 is surmounted by a. handle el, and is provided with the usual spring 6 within the tubular rod 3. The number wheels T-S t'or the units and tens as illustrated in this particular machine, have the usual ten printing characters from zero te 9. They carry a ratchet 9 adapted to be actuated by a pawl 10, pivoted at 11, to a lever 12, which is in turn pivoted at 13, to an operative extension 14 ot the plunger head 4f. The pin l5 under the intiuence of a spring` 16, bears against the pawl 10 to hold it. against its ratchet wheel. On the rod which forms the pivot 13 for the levers 12 there is pivoted freely a rocking frame 1 7 with a cross bar 18 in the path of movement ot the levers 10. The lower ends of the trame 1S are adapted to trip or upset a lever 18* pivoted at 19 to the plunger head upon the depression ot' the levers l2. Upon the upsetting of the level 1811*, the lett hand end ol" said lever will press upwardly against the cross bar ot the U frame 1 and slightlyv depress the numbering head sufficiently to cause the ink pad to be removed from the type before the type is rotated by the pawl 10, and the ratchet 9. It will be noted in Fig. 2 that the pawl does not normally contact with the ratchet. 9, but must move a slight distance before the wheel is removed. It is before this movement that the ink pad is withdrawn from the type. .-"i spring 2O resting in a slot ot the lever 1S, tends always to return the levers 1S* and 17 to the position shown in Fig. 3. rThe spring is secured around the numbering wheel shaft 21.

As explained in the preamble of this speciication, my preferred form ot' indicator for a machine of this character consists of a tace plate having apertures or openings. This plate is shown in the iigures as the plate 30 secured by screws or other means to the reciprocating numbering head with its apertures above a horizontal shaft of the numbering' machine. I prefer to place the plate 8O at an oblique angle, so that the eye can readily strike the indicating characters 31 on the periphery of the wheel. The indicating characters are shown in F ig. l as located in valleys between the numbering type 32 and for the angle and position of aperture shown in this application the indicating character l should occupy a position between the printing characters zero and l.

The .vheel l0 shown in this application is a fractional sectional Wheel, and it has less than ten characters around its periphery,

which would obviously cause a different degree of advancement of the Wheel for each oscillation of the lever, which controls this fractional Wheel. There this construction attains, it is necessary to make the aperture for this Wheel, of a different degree of ad-4 vancement, a trifle offset from the main aperture, as will be obvious on inspection of Fig. l.

I claim as my invention:

l. A numbering machine comprising a frame, a plunger head, an operating rod therefor, a shaft, number Wheels and their ratchet and paivls carried on said plunger head and an indicator means adapted to indicate to the user what the printing Wheels are that are then in position for printing, said indicator comprising an apertured plate carried by said plunger head, and characters adapted to appear at the aperture of the plate, said characters being caused to appear at the aperture upon the movement of the number Wheels.

2. A numbering machine comprising a frame, a plunger head, an operating rod therefor, a shaft, number Wheels and their ratchet and paWls carried on said plunger head, and an indicator means above the central horizontal position of the number Wheel shaft adapted to indicate to the user what the printing Wheels are that are then in position for printing, said indicator comprising an apertured plate carried by said plunger head, and characters adapted to appear at the aperture of the plate, said characters being caused to appear at the aperture upon the movement of the number Wheels.

3. A numbering machine comprising a frame, a plunger head, an operating rod therefor, a shaft, number Wheels and their ratchet and paWls carried on said plunger head, and an indicator means above the central horizontal position of the number Wheel shaft adapted to indicate to the user what the printing Wheels are that are then in position for printing, said indicator comprising an apertured plate carried by said plunger head, and characters adapted to appear at the aperture of the plate, means for moving the number Wheels in order to position the selected type character, the indicating numbers being so arranged as to appear at the aperture When their companion printing numbers are in printing position.

4. A numbering machine comprising a frame, a plunger head, an operating rod therefor, a shaft, number Wheels and their ratchet and pawls carried on said plunger head, and an indicator means above the central horizontal position of the number Wheel shaft adapted to indicate to the user what the printing Wheels are that are then in position for printing, said indicator comprising an apertured plate carried by said plunger head and characters adapted to appear at the aperture of the plate, means for moving the number Wheels in order to position the selected type character, the indicating numbers being so arranged as to appear at the aperture when their companion printing numbers are in printing position, both sets of numbers, to Wit: the printing and indicating numbers, being upon the periphery of the number Wheels.

5. A numbering machine comprising a frame, a plunger head, an operating rod therefor, a shaft number Wheels and their ratchet and pawls carried on said plunger head, and an indicator means above the central horizontal position of the number Wheel shaft adapted to indicate to the user What the printing wheels are that are then in position for printing, said indicator comprising an apertured plate carried by said plunger head and characters adapted to appear at the aperture of the plate, means adapted to cause said characters to appear at the aperture upon the movement of the number Wheels, theindicating numbers being so arranged as to appear at the aperture when their companion printing numbers are in printing position, both sets of numbers, to wit: the printing andA indicating numbers, being upon the periphery of the number Wheels, and a Wheel having a different number of spaces from the main number Wheels, the aperture for last said Wheel being offset from the main aperture.

Signed at New York city this 13 July 1908.

day of BENJAMIN B. CONRAD.

Witnesses EINAR CHRYSTIE, Manni. DITTENHOEFER. 

